I once did a live puppet performance for kids at a church service, lip syncing a Kermit the Frog puppet to the song Rainbow Connection. Afterward, I found out that some of the kids were asking their parents which button I pushed to make him move. I was amazed by this comment, in that what I was doing was so simple; I was only using my hand. My puppet didn’t require batteries or a memory chip to entertain them. It made me wonder, is the practice of using our hands to create art or movement going to die out? It seems to me that some children learn how to click a mouse before ever picking up a pencil or sculpting out of clay. The fascination that comes from the tactile experience of physically holding something in your hand and creating the illusion of life, in one way or another, has been around as long as we have inhabited the planet. Thus, I think it’s a vital part of what makes us human. What happens if we lose that?

This sci-fi vision of the future may sound a bit bleak, but I do think that computer technology is certainly a wonderful thing in many ways. Without it, the art of stop-motion animation might be in a very different state. The point I’m trying to make is that I hope that the concept of getting one’s hands dirty to create traditional art continues to be nurtured from the earliest age. I’ve noticed that when adults who use computers all day long have the opportunity to move a puppet around, there is a childlike vitality that returns to them for that moment in time, as if they are taken back to the simpler days of Play-Doh and action figures. I only hope that today’s younger generation can have enough of their own memories like this to retreat to, along with their electronic blips and bleeps. To me, this is a big part of the reason why stop-motion animation should always be alive and well as an art form. It keeps us connected to something bigger than ourselves, and to our past.

Whether you make stop-motion animation into a lifelong passion or just a brief curiosity, the important thing is that having done it yourself, you have contributed to the history and future of something special—the art of making physical things come to life. It is a creative privilege; even if your puppet falls apart or jitters too much, you are still adding your own pebble to the same road paved by the likes of Ladislas Starewitch, Ray Harryhausen, Will Vinton, and the other professionals interviewed in this book. If you dare to take this creative challenge into your own hands, I hope this book has been useful for you in getting started building puppets and animating, and I hope it serves as a good launching pad for possibly making your own film, starting a new hobby, or being lucky enough to eventually land a job in animation. Today there is more information available about stop-motion than ever before, through books, DVDs, Web sites, and online forums, but experience is always the best teacher. Remember, it’s inevitable that you will make mistakes, get frustrated, pull your hair out, and find things that don’t work. When this happens, take a deep breath, slow down, do your research, ask for help, and get back into it. It’s all part of the process. Enjoy it!

I personally thank you for your interest in keeping this wonderful art form alive, and sincerely wish you the best in all of your projects.

See you in the movies!